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This summer we had the wonderful privilege of hosting three short term mission teams. Team Pathway came from the English ministry of our home church in California. The second team came from the youth group of Hallelujah Community Church in Bundang, South Korea. The third team came from our Pioneers’ team mate Jessica’s parent’s home church near Seattle, Washington.
We were truly blessed to have these teams partner with us in our various outreach events this summer. We wouldn't have been able to do half of what we did without them.
With thankful hearts,
Peter, Jenny, Juhee and Sungjae
Summer Teams
A picture is worth a thousand words, at least that's how the saying goes. There were too many experiences, outreach events, and conversations that took place during the summer to adequately share through words. Therefore, we'd like to share several picture collages with you. We hope that sharing snapshots of our experiences with "brief" captions will tell the story we can't do with just words. (All captions start with the description of the top left picture going clockwise.)
Pathway Team
The Pathway team is pictured in front of Asaminami Chapel, the church plant where our family is focusing our ministry efforts. The next picture is of the team with Pastor Haitaka, the Senior Pastor of the EV Free Church in Hiroshima, who says the summer teams act as a tailwind sent from God to help with our missionary efforts in Hiroshima giving us extra energy, momentum, and encouragement. In the next picture, the team is being introduced to the members of Koyo Chapel during Sunday service, and they also shared a special song. What a joy it was to be able to fellowship and praise God together as one family though the team came from thousands of miles away and just met the members of Koyo Chapel.
Jane and Rosa are pictured making popcorn for the Children's ministry's Day Camp at Kabe Chapel, and shaking the pot so the popcorn wouldn't burn. The team helped minister to over 30 children at Kabe Chapel's Day Camp, and even though language was a challenge the kids really sensed God's love through each member's interaction with them. We were so thankful for the team's playful and serving hearts. The team also folded over 7,000 Good News newsletters that would be distributed throughout the neighborhoods surrounding Koyo, Kabe and Asaminami Chapels. That's a lot of newsletters! The next picture shows the team after having distributed over 700 Good News newsletters on a sunny Sunday afternoon in one of the neighborhoods near Koyo Chapel, which was no easy task (they had to climb four flights of stairs to reach just 8 apartments- that's a lot of stairs!) We pray God would bless those who read the Good News, and really receive it as good news that would draw the readers to Jesus.
Here's the Pathway team preparing gift bags for one of the outreach events at Asaminami Chapel. This was only one part in the many needed to run a successful outreach as every outreach event took planning, preparation of activities, snacks, gifts and prizes, active participation at the event, and clean-up. That's a lot of hard work. We praise God for their joyful servant hearts. The next picture is of Pastor Yamada sharing a Bible Story at Asaminami Chapel's annual summer outreach event, an Ice Cream Party. There were two parties held that day, one for preschoolers and the second for elementary school kids. 40 preschoolers came, which was the exact number we prepared for. We weren't sure, however, how many students would come to the elementary Ice Cream party. We were anticipating maybe 17 to 20 would come. To our pleasant surprise, we had 69 elementary school kids come to the party. Praise God! We scrambled for extra gifts and prizes because we didn't prepare for that many kids to come, and just found enough. What an awesome opportunity to plant seeds of the Gospel in 109 kids that day. We might have to split the elementary school grades next year and have 3 parties! We pray God continues to bless the relationships with those kids, and the elementary school that is right next to Asaminami Chapel. The next picture is of the team preparing salad for dinner at our home. It was nice to fellowship together, encourage one another, and hear stories of how God brought the team members to Japan. The next picture is of Jane with Yamaguchi-san, who is one of our dear friends and a church member at Kabe Chapel. She is one of many church members who devotes much of her time volunteering for various ministry events. She preps, she cleans, she smiles and laughs throughout; what an encouragement she is. The final picture is of the team with the ladies of Olive Kai, the women's ministry of Kabe Chapel. This is a great ministry that provides a welcoming environment for ladies to come together to chat, eat, and be encouraged. Please pray these ladies' gatherings would not become a social club, but can be a place where the ladies are equipped to reach out to the other ladies in their community.
Hallelujah Team
The Hallelujah Team also came full of energy and with very willing and serving hearts. The first picture is of one of the leaders of the Hallelujah team, Yusuke, sharing his testimony to the Kabe congregation during Sunday service. The Hallelujah team also blessed the congregation with a special song through body worship. The team also helped with a special Summer Kids English Club outreach event at Koyo Chapel. Pictured is Caleb and Yusuke checking the BINGO cards as the kids say their BINGO numbers. There were lots of games and activities, and fishing for prizes was just one of those activities, which is pictured next. The Hallelujah team also distributed thousands of Good News newsletters. The final picture is of the team holding up a copy of the Good News after we passed out over 1,500 Good News newsletters in a neighborhood near Kabe Chapel (Thank you Pathway Team for folding all those Good News newsletters!)
The Hallelujah Team is pictured with some of the kids who came to the Summer Kids English Club at Kabe Chapel (the picture in the prior collage was of the Summer Festival at Koyo Chapel). The next picture is Jenny teaching colors in English and explaining to the kids what the different colors represent in the Hallelujah team presentation. Each color represented a different aspect of the gospel message. After the presentation, the kids made bracelets with colored beads while a Hallelujah Team member at each table reviewed the meaning of the colors. What an awesome and interactive way for the seed of the gospel to be planted into the hearts of these young kids. The team also shared a skit that encouraged all to share love with one another. The team was also very blessed by Mr. Ogawa who is one of our very dedicated lay leaders of Kabe Chapel. Not only did he open up his guest house to the Hallelujah Team, but he also poured out so much love and grace and demonstrated to the team what a servant's heart looks like. Pictured is Mr. Ogawa singing one of his favorite hymns for the team after having hosted and cooked a delicious dinner for them. They were truly blessed by his servant heart, his generosity and his kindness. The team sang Amazing Grace, one of Mr. Ogawa's favorite hymns, in English and Japanese for Mr. & Mrs. Ogawa too. The Hallelujah team was also able to visit and pray over a Buddhist temple that many people come to when they are seeking peace, which is pictured next. Notice the demon idol on the left of this picture, which is used by Japanese parents to scare their children to obey. If the children don't obey, the parents tell them a demon will come and take disobedient children away. I can see how this can bring peace to the parents, but I don't think it brings any peace to the children. Please pray for the people of Japan, that they can experience true peace in Jesus Christ.
New Life Team
The New Life Team were all smiles throughout the their missions trip. The first picture is of the team when we met them at the airport. Though they had a 23 hour layover in Seoul before they arrived, they were full of smiles. Like Pathway and Hallelujah, the New Life team also came with a great attitude and serving hearts. The next picture is of the team sharing a special song with the congregation of Koyo Chapel. Though language was a barrier, everyone was united in worship through their song. In the next picture is Tina JDSN as she shared a message at our prayer meeting. Discipleship has been a recurring theme in the hearts of the pastors and church members recently, and her message again confirmed God's desire and command to make disciples. Crystal also shared her testimony of how she came to faith, and reiterated the importance of having people in our lives who can influence and point us to Christ. The last picture is of the team giving small welcoming gifts from America to the church members at Koyo Chapel. Gift giving is a very important part of Japanese culture. It's not just about the gift, but the mind and heart behind the gift, and communicates warm wishes for a good relationship.
The New Life team was able to visit Miyajima Island, one of the most beautiful and touristy places in Japan. There is a deep history of Buddhism and Shintoism on this island, and at one point, many believed the island itself to be a god. The team prayed over the island, the principalities and strongholds of Japan, and for the Japanese people. Please pray that the spiritual strongholds that continue to blind the Japanese people would be broken, and that the truth of the Most High God and His salvation in Jesus Christ would be known. The picture also includes two young ladies with whom the team spent a lot of good quality time. One of these young ladies comes to church regularly, but her friend comes from a very strict Buddhist family. This was a great opportunity to spend quality time and share God's love with these two young ladies. Please pray our relationship with these girls continue to grow, and that both draw nearer to God. The next picture is of the New Life team pictured with Pastor Haitaka and some of the members of Koyo Chapel. The following picture is of the New Life team with Pastor Kitano and his family. This summer provided a great opportunity for three teams to visit Hiroshima. They served in many ways, and prayed for spiritual strongholds to be broken so that the light of Jesus can shine in Hiroshima. We are so thankful for each team to come and partner with us and the local pastors (pictured above) in sharing of the Risen Son in the Land of the Rising Sun.
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